Iran Cmdr. Vows Strong Response to US, ‘Israel’

By Staff, Agencies

The Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, confirmed that the enemy launched the imposed war against Iran back in June by betraying the path of diplomacy but received a powerful and crushing response from the country’s Armed Forces.

Speaking in a meeting with Russian Minister of Energy Sergei Tsivilev in Tehran on Thursday, Mousavi said Iran has proven to the world that it has never been the initiator of war.

He further stressed that Tehran considers “diplomacy and negotiations” to be the best solutions to the problems.

“The enemy used negotiations as a cover for deception and launched the imposed war against Iran by betraying the path of diplomacy,” Mousavi explained, noting that “Iran’s Armed Forces powerfully gave a firm and crushing response to the United States and the Zionist enity.”

The top Iranian general also underlined that Russia adopted a “very good and firm” stance at the United Nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency against "Israel’s" 12-day war on the Islamic Republic.

He added that Iran and Russia have numerous capacities to develop cooperation despite the West’s tough sanctions against the two countries.

The Russian energy minister, for his part, said Tehran and Moscow need to increase economic and defense cooperation to the highest level.

Tsivilev added that he agrees with the proposal to expand relevant commissions to improve the level of cooperation.

A day earlier, the Russian energy minister also met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.